Eastern Australian states hit by major flooding after ‘rain bomb’ weather event
As rainfall exceeds annual averages in just a few days, eight people have died and hundreds have been rescued from rooftops.
Before morning, the flood crashed through the levee. The water had begun to lap at the doorsteps of several inhabitants of Lismore, in northern New South Wales, by the time they awoke on Monday.
Those who were unable to evacuate ascended to the higher floors of their homes, then to their rooftops. Hundreds of people were rescued by boats, kayaks, and jetskis; many more are still missing.
At before 7 a.m., artist Lucy Vader posted a plea for assistance on her social media profile. She released a video of herself sitting on the roof as the river continued to rise a few hours later as she awaited rescuers.
“I’m on my roof, the water is still rising, and my dog is trapped inside,” she said, the rain pounding on the tin roof.
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The storm wreaking havoc on Australia’s east coast has been dubbed “unprecedented” once again; the weather system lingered above Brisbane, the country’s third-largest city, for more than three days. The rain has been torrential and hasn’t let up. Since Thursday, more than 1.5 metres of rain – close to the average annual rainfall – has fallen in certain parts of the city.
Eight individuals have died, all in Queensland, and at least three more are still missing, according to authorities.
A 59-year-old man was killed on Sunday afternoon in Taigum, Brisbane’s outer north, while attempting to cross a flooded road on foot. Witnesses attempted CPR on the man, but he died at the scene, according to police.
A guy in his 50s is also assumed dead when his car was washed away in flood waters near the NSW border in the Currumbin Valley early Monday. The man’s vehicle, according to police, was driven about 30 metres down a flooded road. The car has yet to be discovered.
The weather system that poured on Brisbane, creating widespread flooding and causing damage to an estimated 15,000 properties, eventually moved south early on Sunday, giving the Queensland capital a chance to assess the damage.
The flood hazard shifted with the rains. Murwillumbah and Lismore, both in northern NSW, are under water, with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet warning that things will get worse.
Lismore is a town that has become accustomed to flooding. The levee was last breached in 2017 with ex-tropical cyclone Debbie.
The flood of 1954 is still talked about among Lismore residents. The rain began on the same day that a young Queen Elizabeth paid a visit to the town in northern NSW, and the Wilsons River finally reached a height of 12.15 metres, the highest in over 70 years.
On Monday, the same river reached a new record of 14.46 metres, more than 2 metres higher than it had ever been. The town’s two-story storefronts are shown inundated to the roofs in videos.
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Northern rivers resident John Vanderstok said authorities were overwhelmed by the size of the rescue operation, which included a flotilla of private boats rescuing residents stuck in flooded homes across the town today.
“The emergency services are present, but I’d say the locals outweigh them by a factor of 20 to one; anyone with a boat is simply out there attempting to save as many people as they can.” “It’s just so tragic for the folks who are stranded,” Vanderstok remarked.
“Hundreds would have been hanging out windows and on roofs.” There are people everywhere, as well as a large number of boats. I estimate there are 200 to 300 boats there; even on my way back, I passed another 15 boats heading in.”
According to Perrottet, the situation is likely to worsen.
On Monday, he stated, “We have got indications that we should expect things to get worse throughout this period of time.” More than 60,000 people have been notified that they must leave.
“Just because your neighbourhood hasn’t flooded in the past doesn’t mean it won’t this week.” What we’re witnessing right now is unparalleled.”
Heavy rain in Brisbane eventually let up before midnight on Monday, alleviating some of the pressure that had clogged suburban floodways and poured record amounts of water into dams.
Suburban flooding produced by flooded creeks and Brisbane River tributaries mainly decreased within hours of the rain ceasing, and residents were able to return to their houses to survey the damage.
“The water was up to here when we left about 3pm yesterday,” Nirin Giri said, pointing to a spot just below the front balcony of his home in Newmarket, Brisbane’s inner north.
The adjacent residences on Ashgrove Avenue, near the Enoggera Creek bridge, were all severely damaged. A huge garden building in a neighbor’s yard was flipped over by the water.
“There’s muck all the way through [the house], and you can see it has gotten right up against the wall,” Giri added. “We aren’t the only ones who have experienced this; it has occurred to everyone.”
The Brisbane River reached its height at the same time that residents in Brisbane’s suburbs were returning home, inundating low-lying banks including areas of the CBD, Southbank, and West End.
While multiple atmospheric characteristics conspired to produce the unprecedented rain storm over south-east Australia, meteorologists believe climate change exacerbated the situation.
“Given that climate change is a backdrop to all weather occurrences, it’s difficult to say it doesn’t have an impact.” We know that when the oceans warm, more moisture is released into the atmosphere, and a warmer atmosphere can contain more moisture.”
Heavy rainfall events will become more intense as the planet warms, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
While the torrential rains have subsided, there is still concern about storms expected later this week, which could create even more havoc if river levels remain high.
Those storms, according to Diana Eadie of the Bureau of Meteorology, created an added risk. “That really severe rain is now migrating into north-east New South Wales, and most of south-east Queensland is lessening,” she added. “However, the threat of severe floods remains quite real.
“More calm circumstances are expected today and tomorrow,” says the forecast. We’ll see a return of severe thunderstorm activity starting Wednesday and lasting for the next five days, with the possibility of destructive winds, huge hail, and locally heavy rain.
“We’re not anticipating widespread rain like we’ve seen in this event, but any severe thunderstorm has the potential to produce very strong rainfall rates in some localised regions,” says the forecaster.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stated that “a massive response effort” had been made.
“It was quick and furious, and it had a significant impact,” she said.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but it was like cyclonic conditions outside last night.” Winds, rain, and… we saw two systems of thunderstorms merge last night and throughout the day yesterday. “We had no idea it was going to happen.”
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